Estimates of crime victimisation from the ABS Crime and Safety Survey provide an overall picture of crime experienced in the community. Statistics derived from recorded crime (police records) can provide a more detailed and local picture, with the proviso that not all crime is reported to police and reporting rates differ between crimes.

In general, NSW property crime has declined since 2000, while personal crime has remained relatively steady. Household crime as measured by the ABS Crime and Safety Survey (which includes break and enter, attempted break and enter and motor vehicle theft), declined from a peak of 11.4% of households in 2001 to 6.8% of households in 2006. The trend in personal crime (which includes robbery, assault, and sexual assault) is less clear. Personal crime victimisation rates have moved within a band between 4% and 6% of persons aged 15 years and over throughout the period.

Crime Victimisation Rate(a)

Trends for crimes recorded by police show a similar pattern. Between 2001 and 2006, robbery, break and enter and motor vehicle theft incidents reported to police declined by over 40%. In the same period, recorded malicious damage incidents increased by 11%, and assault increased by 3%.

Recorded Crime Trends, Percentage change – 2001–2006

Reoffending

One focus of crime prevention is to reduce reoffending of those convicted. A broad measure of reoffending adopted in NSW is whether a person convicted of an offence is subsequently reconvicted of another offence within 2 years. Some 28% of adults convicted in 2003 reoffended within 2 years.

There is a strong relationship between reoffending and the age of the offender, with younger people more likely to reoffend. High reoffending rates are found for youth aged 10–13 years (70%) and for persons aged 14–17 years (55%). This trend continues into adulthood with 35% of persons aged 18–24 years reoffending compared to 14% of persons aged 45 years and over. Reoffending was substantially higher for both Indigenous youth (76/%) and Indigenous adults (53%) than for all offenders.